Washington is first state to grant Uber and Lyft drivers family and medical leave, unemployment

TACOMA — On Tuesday, Washington became the first state to establish family and medical leave and unemployment benefits for the state’s Uber and Lyft drivers. The Washington State Legislature set the precedent through its approval of HB 1570, which awaits Gov. Jay Inslee’s signature before being set into law.

The new law cements another win for Washington drivers with the two transportation companies. Last year, the passage of HB 2076 in the state Legislature granted other worker’s rights to Washington drivers, including protections against unjustified termination, access to worker’s compensation insurance, paid sick time, and set the highest wage floor for drivers in the U.S.

Washington has more than 30,000 drivers, who are largely immigrants and people of color, with Uber and Lyft, according to the state’s Drivers Union. The organization also says that 30 percent of drivers in King County rely on food stamps to feed themselves and their families, compared to 12 percent of all employees in the county.

The new law entitles contracted workers with Uber and Lyft to 12 weeks of paid leave if a driver or one of their family members faces medical challenges. They also get the same amount of time off work if they need time to care for a newborn baby.

“Today is a landmark in the fight for worker rights nationwide,” stated Peter Kuel, president of Washington transportation association Drivers Union in a news release. The group advocates for justice and fairness in Washington’s ride-hail industry. “This victory is a demonstration of what drivers can achieve when they organize together to fight for the rights that every worker deserves.”

This legislation will also help create a safety net for low-income workers and their families in the event of unforeseen emergencies. In a press release, one Uber driver from Fircrest, Bill Horton, said he would have benefited from the new law when medical complications forced him out of the driver’s seat and into a hospital bed.

“Without emergency heart surgery, I could have died,” Horton stated in the release. “But as I recovered from that surgery, I learned that because I was no longer able to work, my ongoing unemployment benefits would be denied. With Paid Family Medical Leave, drivers like me will no longer have to face the terrible choice between aggravating a dangerous health condition and providing for their family.”